This is weird !

harleynhelis · 04-09-2012, 07:17 PM

Ok ... first symptom ... heli won't lift of the ground ... at all ... just skates over it. Second symptom ... when I bind the heli ... the swash goes all the way to the bottom of it's travel and sticks there. The light goes out on the circuit board. The TX still has all the factory settings in it ... I haven't messed with them. I've had some crashes ... no higher than a foot and it landed on carpet floor, hopefully softening the landings. I've been reading the forums, but I'm too frustrated to look to far ...

Any ideas from the gang

harleynhelis · 04-09-2012, 10:02 PM

After doing some research, everything points toward the RX. However, $84 for a new one

ain't happenin' ... I might as well get a new BNF ... only $40 more.

I've read about a lot of people that are having problems with Walkera products. I'm not saying that other manufacturers don't have any, however my research has been focussed on Walkera products. I'm not too sure if I'd buy another one. I'm probably just a little sour from only having it for a couple days. Even though I've had a few small crashes, no walls or anything solid ... only carpet floors and top of the bed. I just figured it would be a little more damage proof. Funny thing is that it's nothing structural ... only electronic.

Heli-opolis · 04-09-2012, 10:10 PM

Try removing all connections from the RX, servos and motors and see if it will bind and the LED stay lit.

If it does stay lit, start reconnecting things one at a time, cycling power each time of course.

I doubt it is your receiver board as there have been a number of times when a servo will go tits-up but seem kinda sorta OK but cause a high drain on the battery, but not enough to smoke anything but, high enough to drag the voltage down below what the RX needs to stay powered.

I bet you a hog overhaul that I'm right although if I'm right, you'd have to buy me one too as I'm currently crotch-rocketless.

harleynhelis · 04-09-2012, 10:32 PM

Ok, I'll try your advice for the RX. I'll let you know how it works out. Thanks for steering me in that direction. Hopefully I'll be able to sort it out.

Heli-opolis · 04-09-2012, 10:34 PM

It's always best to trouble-shoot to a certainty than give up on a guess.

Guesses get rather expensive if repeated too often.

harleynhelis · 04-09-2012, 10:47 PM

Any chance low batts in the TX can cause this ???

Heli-opolis · 04-09-2012, 10:52 PM

I suppose it is possible although I'm not sure why it would start up just to shut back down again but I didn't write the code that controls it so I've really no idea.

There should be any easy way to find out though.

If that's what it turns out to be though, I'll pack my tools and be on my way to Arizona for a engine rebuild.

harleynhelis · 04-09-2012, 11:03 PM

If that's what the problem is I'm gonna

Besides, that would save me some money so I can go buy another Harley, just to getcha down here. Tons of places here to fly as long as you can dodge cactus and javelinas. Oh by the way fellow cheesehead ... 93 degrees today ... how bout you ... get any snow today

Heli-opolis · 04-09-2012, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harleynhelis

get any snow today

Don't make me hafta come down there!

Or, maybe, you should!

harleynhelis · 04-09-2012, 11:17 PM

I've got an idea ... head on down here. We can throw the helis in the saddlebags, jump on the Harley's and head off to flying heaven here in AZ. At least if the flying sux, we still have the bike ride to enjoy

Heli-opolis · 04-09-2012, 11:53 PM

I'm tempted but my V12 is acting like a straight 6 just now so road trips are not really an option.

harleynhelis · 04-10-2012, 07:59 PM

Well I unplugged everything ... servos and motors ... still won't bind. Light flashes until I touch one of the sticks ... then it turns off. Sounds to me like it's a bad RX

Heli-opolis · 04-10-2012, 09:29 PM

Crap!

I was SOOO hoping that would point to a servo or something other than the RX!!!

Well, I guess your next step would be to contact whomever you got it from and see what they can do for you.

I'm very sorry it didn't work out as I had hoped and 99.999% expected.

I just checked the prices for a Genius Receiver board and I thought the Mini-CP receiver was relatively expensive at ~$70 but the cheapest Genius RX I can find is about $12 more!

Double ouch!

harleynhelis · 04-10-2012, 09:52 PM

No point buying an RX when I can get another BNF for $40 more ... then I have the original for a crash test dummy.

Heli-opolis · 04-10-2012, 10:43 PM

There is that although unless you have a 'thing' for the Genius, you might want to consider going with the Mini-CP instead as it is newer and the RX is cheaper to replace at least.

Having spare parts though would be an advantage so it may be just six dozen of one and half of the other.

Intheway · 04-10-2012, 10:44 PM

If you were using fast-bind and changed anything on the radio that could have caused it to create a new one (like while trying to bind) then you have to plug in the bind plug that came with the bird and power it up and wait for the red led to tell you it deleted the old bind.
Then you should be able to re-bind to the radio with a new fast bind code. You are using a Devo 6 or 8?
If you can cancel the old bind first with the bind plug and then re-bind you should be able to return to Heliopolis's advice.

Heli-opolis · 04-10-2012, 11:14 PM

If it is a Fixed ID issue and you want to rebind, in addition to what InTheWay mentioned about using the bind plug to cancel the RX's fixed ID, you'd also want to turn Fixed ID for that model off in the TX as well before trying to auto-bind.

I've made the mistake of forgetting to do that in the past and ended up going in circles trying to figure out the problem.

On a different but related note, when I did a firmware upgrade on my Devo-8, even though the fixed ID it displayed for each of the two heli's I have set up in it was the same prior to the upgrade, I had to actually turn off Fixed ID for each model, cancel the Fixed ID in the RX's and then auto-bind before I could do anything else.

john aeras · 04-11-2012, 07:29 PM

This may sound stupid (and may actually be!) but has the antenna maybe disconnected from your RX? (alot of cold solders on these helis)

Heli-opolis · 04-12-2012, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john aeras

This may sound stupid (and may actually be!) but has the antenna maybe disconnected from your RX? (alot of cold solders on these helis)

Not thtpuit at all!

In another thread, the OP's Devo's USB connector wasn't soldered well enough to make it work either.

With these birds, it sometimes seems there are no stupid suggestions.

Well, except mine of course.

pinguin · 05-06-2012, 07:52 AM

Could it be the switch position on the Tx?
That's what happened on my 2801pro. If I have the Gear switch on the down position, the heli is not bind correctly. It bound but the swash movement is not right.

04-09-2012, 07:17 PM	#1
harleynhelis Registered Users Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: USA	This is weird ! Ok ... first symptom ... heli won't lift of the ground ... at all ... just skates over it. Second symptom ... when I bind the heli ... the swash goes all the way to the bottom of it's travel and sticks there. The light goes out on the circuit board. The TX still has all the factory settings in it ... I haven't messed with them. I've had some crashes ... no higher than a foot and it landed on carpet floor, hopefully softening the landings. I've been reading the forums, but I'm too frustrated to look to far ... Any ideas from the gang

04-11-2012, 07:29 PM	#18
john aeras Registered Users Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Canada	This may sound stupid (and may actually be!) but has the antenna maybe disconnected from your RX? (alot of cold solders on these helis) __________________ *Some people have a problem for every solution...*

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04-09-2012, 10:02 PM	#2
harleynhelis Registered Users Thread Starter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: USA	After doing some research, everything points toward the RX. However, $84 for a new one ain't happenin' ... I might as well get a new BNF ... only $40 more. I've read about a lot of people that are having problems with Walkera products. I'm not saying that other manufacturers don't have any, however my research has been focussed on Walkera products. I'm not too sure if I'd buy another one. I'm probably just a little sour from only having it for a couple days. Even though I've had a few small crashes, no walls or anything solid ... only carpet floors and top of the bed. I just figured it would be a little more damage proof. Funny thing is that it's nothing structural ... only electronic.

04-09-2012, 10:10 PM	#3
Heli-opolis Registered Users Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Madison, Wisconsin	Try removing all connections from the RX, servos and motors and see if it will bind and the LED stay lit. If it does stay lit, start reconnecting things one at a time, cycling power each time of course. I doubt it is your receiver board as there have been a number of times when a servo will go tits-up but seem kinda sorta OK but cause a high drain on the battery, but not enough to smoke anything but, high enough to drag the voltage down below what the RX needs to stay powered. I bet you a hog overhaul that I'm right although if I'm right, you'd have to buy me one too as I'm currently crotch-rocketless.

04-09-2012, 10:32 PM	#4
harleynhelis Registered Users Thread Starter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: USA	Ok, I'll try your advice for the RX. I'll let you know how it works out. Thanks for steering me in that direction. Hopefully I'll be able to sort it out.

04-09-2012, 10:34 PM	#5
Heli-opolis Registered Users Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Madison, Wisconsin	It's always best to trouble-shoot to a certainty than give up on a guess. Guesses get rather expensive if repeated too often.

04-09-2012, 10:47 PM	#6
harleynhelis Registered Users Thread Starter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: USA	Any chance low batts in the TX can cause this ???

04-09-2012, 10:52 PM	#7
Heli-opolis Registered Users Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Madison, Wisconsin	I suppose it is possible although I'm not sure why it would start up just to shut back down again but I didn't write the code that controls it so I've really no idea. There should be any easy way to find out though. If that's what it turns out to be though, I'll pack my tools and be on my way to Arizona for a engine rebuild.

04-09-2012, 11:03 PM	#8
harleynhelis Registered Users Thread Starter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: USA	If that's what the problem is I'm gonna Besides, that would save me some money so I can go buy another Harley, just to getcha down here. Tons of places here to fly as long as you can dodge cactus and javelinas. Oh by the way fellow cheesehead ... 93 degrees today ... how bout you ... get any snow today

04-09-2012, 11:17 PM	#10
harleynhelis Registered Users Thread Starter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: USA	I've got an idea ... head on down here. We can throw the helis in the saddlebags, jump on the Harley's and head off to flying heaven here in AZ. At least if the flying sux, we still have the bike ride to enjoy

04-09-2012, 11:53 PM	#11
Heli-opolis Registered Users Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Madison, Wisconsin	I'm tempted but my V12 is acting like a straight 6 just now so road trips are not really an option.

04-10-2012, 07:59 PM	#12
harleynhelis Registered Users Thread Starter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: USA	Well I unplugged everything ... servos and motors ... still won't bind. Light flashes until I touch one of the sticks ... then it turns off. Sounds to me like it's a bad RX

04-10-2012, 09:29 PM	#13
Heli-opolis Registered Users Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Madison, Wisconsin	Crap! I was SOOO hoping that would point to a servo or something other than the RX!!! Well, I guess your next step would be to contact whomever you got it from and see what they can do for you. I'm very sorry it didn't work out as I had hoped and 99.999% expected. I just checked the prices for a Genius Receiver board and I thought the Mini-CP receiver was relatively expensive at ~$70 but the cheapest Genius RX I can find is about $12 more! Double ouch!

04-10-2012, 09:52 PM	#14
harleynhelis Registered Users Thread Starter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: USA	No point buying an RX when I can get another BNF for $40 more ... then I have the original for a crash test dummy.

04-10-2012, 10:43 PM	#15
Heli-opolis Registered Users Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Madison, Wisconsin	There is that although unless you have a 'thing' for the Genius, you might want to consider going with the Mini-CP instead as it is newer and the RX is cheaper to replace at least. Having spare parts though would be an advantage so it may be just six dozen of one and half of the other.

04-10-2012, 10:44 PM	#16
Intheway Registered Users Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Madison, WI	If you were using fast-bind and changed anything on the radio that could have caused it to create a new one (like while trying to bind) then you have to plug in the bind plug that came with the bird and power it up and wait for the red led to tell you it deleted the old bind. Then you should be able to re-bind to the radio with a new fast bind code. You are using a Devo 6 or 8? If you can cancel the old bind first with the bind plug and then re-bind you should be able to return to Heliopolis's advice.

04-10-2012, 11:14 PM	#17
Heli-opolis Registered Users Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Madison, Wisconsin	If it is a Fixed ID issue and you want to rebind, in addition to what InTheWay mentioned about using the bind plug to cancel the RX's fixed ID, you'd also want to turn Fixed ID for that model off in the TX as well before trying to auto-bind. I've made the mistake of forgetting to do that in the past and ended up going in circles trying to figure out the problem. On a different but related note, when I did a firmware upgrade on my Devo-8, even though the fixed ID it displayed for each of the two heli's I have set up in it was the same prior to the upgrade, I had to actually turn off Fixed ID for each model, cancel the Fixed ID in the RX's and then auto-bind before I could do anything else.

05-06-2012, 07:52 AM	#20
pinguin Registered Users Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Indonesia	Could it be the switch position on the Tx? That's what happened on my 2801pro. If I have the Gear switch on the down position, the heli is not bind correctly. It bound but the swash movement is not right.